The present invention provides a hair curling system wherein hair rollers are heatable by the circulating action of steam within an enclosed chamber so as to provide moist heat for curling and setting one's hair. The apparatus preferably comprises a housing having a heating chamber within which the rollers are suspended and side compartments for holding roller clips and the like. Within the heating chamber is a removable roller support plate which supports the rollers within the housing. This plate may also have dividers to separate groups of rollers. A slidable lid is provided so that only a select number of rollers are exposed at a time. Moist heat is provided to the rollers by means of steam generated from water or other liquids introduced into the heating chamber and caused to boil by the application of microwave energy from a standard home microwave oven or by an electric heating element. The housing also functions as a storage caddy for the rollers and clips.
Heretofore, most commercially available hair curling systems using a plurality of rollers have been heated by placing the various size rollers on metal posts in a housing and directly heating the posts by electric current, for example, the Clairol units as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,029 to Walter. The rollers usually include heat retention means which may be a metal sleeve or core or an oil filled space which adds weight to each roller. In addition, the heat is applied to the entire roller, including the ends, which makes them difficult to handle.
A further drawback to these prior systems is that the heat is a dry heat which is damaging to the hair. Attempts to apply moisture or steam to the outside of these rollers have involved the combination of the above mentioned heating posts with steam generation as in Walter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,029, or enclosed drawers containing the rollers and confining them within a steam chamber as in Volosin, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,316. Another method of providing heated and moistened rollers involves heating the rollers in a pan of hot or boiling water as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,019 to Popeil. The difficulties and dangers involved in handling the thus heated rollers, particularly in their removal from the hot water, are obvious.
The present invention allows one to quickly, comfortably and safely curl dry hair using heated moistened rollers. Because moisture is transferred to the hair simultaneously while heating, the natural moisture and oils of the hair are not removed. In contrast, dry setting with electrically heated rollers and irons evaporates this natural moisture leaving the hair dull, lifeless and often with split ends. Permanently waved, colored or bleached hair becomes very drab and brittle with the hot-dry set method and requires frequent conditioning. The apparatus and method presented herein also provides speed and convenience as well as increased comfort since the rollers are lighter in weight than prior conventional electrically heated rollers and, even after heating, have a head portion which is relatively cool to the touch. The rollers are therefor easier to wind and clamp. Furthermore, heating a full set of rollers in a microwave oven, as is preferred in the primary embodiment, is faster than the prior methods and the design of the apparatus is such that heat and moisture are retained by the rollers through a normal setting period without the requirement of a heat retentive core. Finally, the preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes a safety factor in that the water or other liquid used to generate the moistening steam or vapor is heated by the application of microwave energy to the water molecules, thus there is no need for an electrical element to be employed within the roller housing in contact with the water or other liquid. Furthermore, the design of the apparatus is such that when steam is generated, a partial seal or resistance results between the lid and the housing further reducing the risk of spillage of the hot water in the event the unit is dropped.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for curling a person's hair using rollers that are heated and moistened by steam.
It is a further object to provide an apparatus and method whereby lightweight hair rollers may be heated and moistened by steam in a manner so as to retain heat and moisture during a time period in which they are placed in a person's hair.
It is an even further object to provide an apparatus and method whereby heated rollers may be safely and comfortably transported and handled.
It is yet another object to provide an apparatus and method whereby rollers that are heated and moistened have a portion which remains relatively cool to the touch.
It is yet another object to provide an apparatus and method whereby rollers are positioned in a housing in such a manner that the portion which remains cooler is maintained apart from a main heating chamber in which the roller body is suspended.
It is a still further object to provide an apparatus and method whereby hair rollers may be heated and moistened by steam produced within an enclosed chamber by the action of microwave energy.
Further objects and advantages will be evident from the following drawings and description setting forth the best mode of practicing the present invention.